Having kept strict radio silence for the past week, we have been alternating between amazement that the Oilers are this close to the ceiling of the salary cap and dismay that the expectations for the team are so low going into next season. Other than oscillating between these two frames of mind and watching every single moment of Big Brother 11, like many we have just been sitting around waiting for news to emerge from the Oilers camp that someone has addressed one of the handful of holes going into next season and waiting for something to get excited about.

Doldrums of summer

Right now at this very moment, Nikolai Khabibulin is 43 days older than when the Oilers first signed him and Dustin Penner is probably looking at the readout from bathroom scale in his solid gold house and thinking "that can't be right." Sam Gagner is probably kicking it out at some cabin in Ontario and bidding a bittersweet farewell to his 2009 summer romance. Dozens of other Oilers are probably wishing that Heatley had come to Edmonton after all so that the focus would be off their upcoming seasons and they could quietly come to camp under the radar. But we all know that will not be the case now don't we?

We are starting to believe Steve Tambellini when he says that this is the team the Oil are going to go with for next season and wish we could build some sort of time machine to either fast forward to the start of Camp, or alternatively go back in time a month and whisper "don't do it Steve, we hear he has the swine flu" into Tambo's ear as he tried to put the finishing touches on the Heatley deal.

But complete organizational standstill aside, there are still some interesting things we are looking forward to seeing unfold next year.

And one of them is Gilbert Brule

Last year Willis and yours truly droned on and on and on and on about this here Gilbert Brule, embarking on a monumental 4 part series about the guy, which we both immediately regretted publicly committing to onsite. "Four parts on Gilbert Brule?" we lamented via email to one another, "why on earth did we commit to THAT?" We won't try anything so ambitious this season, but we will start looking for things to be moderately excited about going into Camp.

For some reason we still hold a strange soft spot in our heart for #67.

We remember when we first heard of Gilbert Brule. We were on a road trip to Vancouver with a bunch of the boys and our Dutch Friend used Gilbert Brule as his person in a game of 20 questions. Of course no one in the car but the Dutch Nemesis had ever even heard of Brule at this point (the year being 2002) and he defended his pick of a super shady personality by regaling us with tales of Brule and his dominance as a Vancouver Giant. After our road trip ended. Brule was later drafted 6th overall in 2005 by Columbus, compared repeatedly to Sidney Crosby, then injured repeatedly in his 3 seasons in Columbus.

That was then, this is now

Now that the Oilers have signed Brule to an additional one year deal, we can't help but think that if there was ever a time for Brule to emerge as a bonafide NHL player it would be this season. Expectations are low, others on the team will be taking the heat and a hole in the lineup exists that Brule could fill.

Quick question: Is anyone harboring large expectations of this Oilers squad going into the new season? Thought so. Having said all of that, aren't these the same Oilers that seemingly turn on the jets every time we collectively underestimate them? Thought so too. For a player like Brule, who has often stuggled under the weight of his massive potential - a season like the 2009-10 campaign may be exactly what he needs to turn his career around.

Somewhere Brule has been training this offseason and getting himself ready to come to camp and produce knowing that he has no long term contract to fall back on or even any guarantee that this won't be his last shot at playing in the NHL. And we for one are looking forward to this level of effort from a guy that used to be considered a sure thing as an NHL star. Yep, we are looking forward to that and perhaps asking Willis if he wants to go halfers on a four part series about the career outlook for Colin McDonald.

Is it October yet?

Blog so hard motherf**ckers try and find me.
Email me at wanyegretz@gmail.com or tweet me @wanyegretz provided it is about Jordan Eberle or babes.

Don't get me wrong I don't think he has actually done anything worth getting excited about - though he did pot a beauty goal last year that made the 4 part article well worth the 248 hours we put into it.

@ Jonathan Willis:

Somewhere Grandma McDonald sits by her computer waiting for us to make good on that offhanded promise.

Gagner's been training with Schremp this summer. Whatever great attitude he had, and grit he was developing has probably been washed away with a back tatoo and a hard summer at the tavern. We're screwed I tell you. Screwed.

betcha mac t..is fesstering in the basement of that ghetto building( bottom right) curled up in the fetile position rocking back and forth.. crying conklin... u bum u lost it for us... bergeron u lost it for us...(the rolie knee thing)

jeanshorts wrote:
Oh man, How awesome was last nights Big Brother????
Jeff is like some kind of international hero! I can’t wait until the Franklin Mint puts out a series of decorative plates featuring his likeness!
I’d buy that for 7 dollars!

Gagner’s been training with Schremp this summer. Whatever great attitude he had, and grit he was developing has probably been washed away with a back tatoo and a hard summer at the tavern. We’re screwed I tell you. Screwed.

Or it has a positive reverse effect, and it goes the other eh!! Wouldnt that just be the sheeeeit. Gagner pumps in 70+ points and Shrempy pumps in 50 of his own!!
I can only dream.....

Oilersordeath wrote:
Gagner pumps in 70+ points and Shrempy pumps in 50 of his own
Uh, yeah, about that . . . I think we’d have to actually sign Schremp first, and I’m not convinced it’s a gimme that that’s going to happen.

The Hockey gods owe us big time, after 3 years of manic depression we are due!! If Shremp comes in to camp and drops some jaws they will sign him dont you think?

I'm listening to Gregor's interview with Ron Duguay on 1260. He's articulate, interesting, and funny. What the hell happened to guys like this in the NHL? I'm just imagining an interview with Smytty in 20 years:

Things I'm looking forward to:
1-Schremp getting a real shot. This way he can prove that he's got it (which I don't think he does), or he'll prove that he's not good enough and people can finally shut up.
2-Gilbert Brule kicking ass on the 4th line.
3-Chima getting evicted. She's crazy. Jeff is the man.
4-Things to look forward to Part II

Gagner’s been training with Schremp this summer. Whatever great attitude he had, and grit he was developing has probably been washed away with a back tatoo and a hard summer at the tavern. We’re screwed I tell you. Screwed.
Or it has a positive reverse effect, and it goes the other eh!! Wouldnt that just be the sheeeeit. Gagner pumps in 70+ points and Shrempy pumps in 50 of his own!!
I can only dream…..

Hey it actually could happen. Unlikely BUT it could happen ya never know Gagner is an incredible talent and he will eventially pop 70+points one day and why would it be outta question for Schremp to get what Cogs or even Gagner got 2 years ago. I think people just fell into the Mac T rant a lil too much

why would it be outta question for Schremp to get what Cogs or even Gagner got 2 years ago.

Not sure, but I think it might be that he sucks. If he were any good at all, he would have stood out on a crappy Springfield team last year. Other than a few ~awesome~ Youtube vids, the guy's done nothing.

Dallas wrote:
why would it be outta question for Schremp to get what Cogs or even Gagner got 2 years ago.
Not sure, but I think it might be that he sucks. If he were any good at all, he would have stood out on a crappy Springfield team last year. Other than a few ~awesome~ Youtube vids, the guy’s done nothing.

I am not near the Schremp lover I was 2years ago but I still believe he could surprise. And how would you feel if you come up had 2 outta 3 good games in the bigs and then got sent down and the coach of the bigs shyt all over you. I also might add he was standing out on a crappy falcon team until then. I just think what Mac T said really busted any confidence he had going until that point.

Would the put Schremp on Gagnes line? They both play center. I think a line like
Penner-Gagne-Schremp
Looks good for second line.
PattyO-Horc-Hemsky
First line
Moreau-Cogs-Pisani
Third
Stortini-Brule-Strudwick or Jf J
Fourth line

I am not near the Schremp lover I was 2years ago but I still believe he could surprise. And how would you feel if you come up had 2 outta 3 good games in the bigs and then got sent down and the coach of the bigs shyt all over you. I also might add he was standing out on a crappy falcon team until then. I just think what Mac T said really busted any confidence he had going until that point.

He played OK for two games, and then showed nothing for the rest of the time. He's soft as butter, hesitant to go into the corners and is a (self-acknowledged) poor skater. Instead of sulking and pissing the rest of the season away, he could have played his tail off and made it so the big team would have had no choice but to bring him back up. He didn't. If he was so great, he would have blown the doors off his AHL stint.

You Schremp guys love to point to those two games. But he's played so poorly the rest of the time that those two games mean jack sh!t. I would imagine if the team thought he was half as god as alot of his fans do, he would have been re-signed by now. As things sit he doesn't even have a contract extension. Instead, Brule and some dude named Stone have fresh new paper ahead of the hockey jesus. That's gotta tell you something right there.

Like all athletes, I hope Schremp comes to camp and makes something happen. But from what we've seen so far, it doesn't look very likely.

Like I said I am far from a schremp guy. I have lived Gagner to death since he stepped on the ice for us and I used to be a Hemsky lover but as soon as I seen Gagner I knew that he WILL be the better player. Anyways my point is you can't give up on a kid just cause a coach that got booed outta town never liked him AND he was one of the better players on the ice those two games. I had my eyes all on him and the kid played his heart out and made sum great plays

See what happens when I leave, and run away to Asia? Deals fall through, jeanshorts returns to his heroine like addiction to Big Brother, and Wanye is talking about Brule again.

By the love of Quinn, I've been reading the hate on my beloved Oilers for the upcoming season. And I'm going to do my part. Tonight, while I sling drinks in a sleazy bar in Thailand, I will dawn my Oilers t-shirt proudly. Even beak someone, pretending they're from Calgary.

Schremp…
There was a great Player, who played for the Oil,
named Bernie Nichols. He also could not skate.
NHL Totals Games-1,127
Goals 475 Helpers 734 Total 1,209
Why not Schremp ? I’m just saying, is all I’m saying.

Schremp…
There was a great Player, who played for the Oil,
named Bernie Nichols. He also could not skate.
NHL Totals Games-1,127
Goals 475 Helpers 734 Total 1,209
Why not Schremp ? I’m just saying, is all I’m saying.

When Nicholls was Schremp's age he had already put up a 95 point season. In the NHL. I'm just sayin'.

@ 99thoilerfan:
Also, Nicholls played a season riding shotgun with Gretzky in LA 70 goals 80 assists and then never came close to dupicating that feat again. He was ok the rest of his career but nothing special

After getting ohsoclose in 2006, expectations were high (even after the Pronger fiasco), and they shat the bed.

During the 2007 off-season, they signed Souray and Penner (both coming off strong seasons), expectations were high, and they shat the bed.

The 2008 off-season was rife with talk of the young guns (after a strong 20 game finish), expectations were high, and well, you get the idea...

Over the last four years, this team has played four months of decent hockey: two months in the spring of 2006 (after squeaking into the playoffs), and two months in the late winter of 2008 (after a horrible first 60 games). The common thread - no pressure, no high expectations. Maybe they'll rally around the "Nobody believed in us!" flag.

And maybe Scarlett Johansson will pleasure me in the back of an '82 Chevette....hey, it could happen!